


A Crack in the Safe

by Chaerring



Series: Siblings [5]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel (Movies), White Collar
Genre: Conversations, Crossover, F/M, Gen, Neal is a noble brat, Pepper is the boss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-23
Updated: 2012-02-23
Packaged: 2017-10-31 15:29:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/345696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chaerring/pseuds/Chaerring
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pepper sets a trap for Neal and watches Peter Burke spring it perfectly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Crack in the Safe

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own the Iron Man movies or White Collar.

Peter Burke stood outside Virgina Potts', the CEO of Stark Industries, office on his lunch hour feeling vaguely embarrassed. Two nights ago his wife had come home with a series of photos of an art piece that Ms. Potts wanted her New York office redecorated around. After he laid eyes on them, he couldn't get the photos out of his head, there was something about the piece that just stuck in his mind. It took him two hours after dinner and a magnifying glass to discover why. 

The piece was unmistakably one of Neal's forgeries. 

It wasn't one Peter had a record of though, and Peter had a record of a lot of them, even the alleged ones. With the FBI not having any knowledge of it at all, that dated it's creation to well before Neal got into paper forgeries and even further before Peter had been put on the case of "James Bonds." Nonetheless, Peter still felt it was his duty as a federal agent of the white collar division to inform Ms. Potts that her painting wasn't the original.

Before approaching her though, he wanted to see if he could find anything out from it's artist. He borrowed one of the photos from El and presented it to Neal over coffee the next morning. The conversation was the weirdest he'd had with the other man in a long time.

"Tell me about this piece."

Neal hardly even glanced at it, straight face in place.

"Hmm. It's good work, but obviously a fake. Definitely not the best I've seen." 

Peter could practically hear the unspoken _"Or I've done"_ hanging in the air.

"It's your work."

"There's no proof of that, Peter."

Neal smiles and Peter keeps pretending that the warmth in his chest means he wants to strangle him.

"It's early. From before you began forging documents, I'm betting."

"What makes you say that?"

"Besides the fact that the owner has had it for a decade? I've studied the entire breadth of your discovered forgeries."

"You know, you're awful lucky that Elizabeth finds stalking and misuse of government resources attractive. Have I mentioned that?"

Peter knows he's lucky. He's ridiculously lucky that El decided she wanted to spend her life with him, even luckier that she doesn't get mad about his job and Neal's constant interference in their lives, but Neal's trying to change the subject, which means Peter can't let him if he ever wants to find anything out.

" _Neal._ The piece."

"It was just an observation."

"Tell me why the CEO of Stark Industries wants to base her office design around this piece?"

Peter watches sharply as Neal's smile twitches in place, ever so slightly. It's almost a full fledged tell, and Neal Caffrey doesn't have tells. On anyone else it might have been guilt or surprise about the location of his painting, but if Neal ever felt guilt, or didn't keep track of all of his works he never showed it. _Not ever._ For him to visibly react at all meant Peter had stuck a gold mine with this piece and might finally have an in into understanding Neal beneath all of the smooth bullshit he forged for his personality.

Even more telling was the way Neal volunteered to stay at the office when Peter mentioned he would be stopping by Stark Industries before picking up the team's lunch. Neal never volunteered to stay at the office, but there Peter was, standing alone as the redheaded CEO herself welcomed him into her office with a professional, but warm smile.

""Mr. Burke, what brings you to my office today? I hope nothing has happened to Elizabeth."

There's a question there in her comment about El, and a worry that sounds like genuine concern over the woman and not whether or not her design would be completed that has Peter relaxing, but feeling worse about what he was going to have to tell her. The forgery was the only painting in the room and hung in a place of honor where the light from the windows would hit it perfectly.

"Actually, Ms. Potts, I'm here because of my own work. I don't know if El's told you, but I work with the white collar division of the FBI."

At this point any other CEO would be going for their computer to subtly message their lawyers. Virginia Potts' smile just gets a little wider.

"She did mention that, actually, but I'm not sure why your job would bring you to my office, on what I'm pretty sure is your lunch hour."

Peter has to bite back a grin. She's just as sharp as her position would suggest, and just as straightforward as El has praised.

"I saw the photos of the painting El is centering your office design on and it came to my attention that you have a forgery on your hands, Ms. Potts. I'm sorry to have to inform you of that. If you'd like I can get it tested to prove it to you, but the forger is currently a criminal consultant under my supervision. I'm an expert in his work, and can confirm this is his work, or have him come up here and do it himself."

Peter felt the beginnings of confusion when Potts shook her head slightly, but continued to smile. 

"Thank you very much, Agent Burke for taking the time to come inform me. When Elizabeth told me her husband solved white collar crimes I never even thought that you might be Neal's handler."

An alarm bell went off in Peter's mind and he wonders if he was just manipulated.

"You know Neal, Ms. Potts?"

"Call me Pepper, please, and yes. I grew up with your James Bonds, and I'm afraid I owe you a bigger thank you and an apology. I am truly sorry you've wasted the time to tell me this is a forgery, because I already knew it was. Nick made it for me when he was in college for a birthday gift. I was still too poor to buy originals, and he was too poor to get a hold of the paints needed to fool eyes like yours."

Peter's not sure how he should be taking these revelations. Briefly, he glances up at the forgery again and is reminded disturbingly of the proud parents in his office that bring their kids' scribbles to work in frames to set on their desks.

"I see."

"If you'd like I can give you full access to all of my dealings in art. I can assure you I have never tried to pass this piece, or any of Neal's other pieces that I have as real."

He thought of the way she welcomed him into the office and kept not one of Neal's best pieces, but one he gave her as a birthday gift on the wall.

"I don't think that will be necessary at this point in time." He pauses a moment. "He hates that this one is your favorite, doesn't he?"

A light, pleased laugh escapes her lips.

"With a frightening passion. You seem to be getting to know my brother well."

"I did chase him for years."

"Of course. I'm going to assume that since he hasn't appeared to make me stop talking about him, that you've left him at the office?"

"He did elect to skip this field trip."

She rolls her eyes.

"Would you mind giving his bratty self a message for me?"

Peter didn't bother to hide his grin this time.

"Not at all."

"Please tell him I will be outside his apartment at 8 o'clock sharp tonight with the wine to match my favorite meal. Now that you, Agent Burke, know of my connection to him he can no longer use the excuse of protecting me from the FBI's scrutiny to hide."

"I will be sure to let him know."

"Thank you, and please do tell your wife I said hello."

Peter nods once more and leaves the way he came in, knowing they both need to return to work, and he has a number of new facts about his CI to process. He finally knew where the man learned to plan.

**Author's Note:**

> This was really fun to write. All of the boys would go to prison before giving the law any reason to question Pepper's hardwork to get where she is. Of course Pepper is going to call them silly martyrs and claim them as her family anyway.


End file.
